Bleeding out
by LadyPalma
Summary: Regina is in danger and Robin is helping her... But Hook decides to do more than just help. Will he succeed? Or will he die in the attempt? Hooked Queen; hints to Outlaw Queen and other pairings.


**Bleeding out**

_**I'm bleeding out**__**  
**__**So if the last thing that I do**__**  
**__**Is bring you down**__**  
**__**I'll bleed out for you**__**  
**__**So I bare my skin**__**  
**__**And I count my sins**__**  
**__**And I close my eyes**__**  
**__**And I take it in**__**  
**__**I'm bleeding out**__**  
**__**I'm bleeding out for you, for you.**_

_**[Bleeding out – Imagine Dragons]**_

* * *

They were finally back to the Enchanted Forest. It took nearly two weeks to convince Emma and in the end it was Baelfire's unexpected arrival to succeed: he was her true love and in front of the evidence of the break of a curse, Hook couldn't do anything but accept it. And now, two months after that travel across two worlds, they were all back – he, Emma, Neal and Henry – but their adventure wasn't over yet and a lot of things were changed since Storybrooke had been destroyed.

Something like a wicked witch threatening Snow White and her Prince Charming.

Something like a brief affair between Hook and Regina before his mission to find Emma.

Something like the potential love story between Regina and Robin – after.

"So, it's him now?"

The casual question expressed by that familiar voice, made the queen startle and quickly turn back to face the unexpected visitor. Her instinct was suggesting to ask him what he was doing there, but she didn't want that much to know it after all, and so, quickly recovering from the surprise, she decided to make a smirk and focus on the question.

"Maybe" she simply answered, but after a short pause she couldn't help but add something else in a provocative tone "Are you jealous, captain?"

He smirked back, considering the answer to give, and finally decided to play her game "_Maybe_"

A quick exchange of looks and then silence fell between them, while their attention was caught by something she was holding in her hands: something she had been thinking about for days, something he was noticing then for the first time.

"What it is?"

Regina looked up again and a serious expression was now on her face "A medallion"

Hook frowned at that laconic answer and slowly approached her more to have a better view of the object.

"There is a creature that takes the soul away from the one who are marked by this medallion" she started to explain sighing deeply "And unfortunately I've been marked"

He hadn't understand much, but the words _soul away_ and the last distinct sentence made him be driven by fear and the sudden soft move of his hand on her cheek was a gesture that purely showed all his concern.

"How have you been marked?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, and slightly moved her head against his palm. She wouldn't have admitted it but somehow she needed that caress, his caress.

"Rumple did, soon after my curse broke" she finally answered in a whisper, looking again at him "He wanted to make me pay for what I did to his Beauty"

His hand slowly fell and stooped in the air, clenching in a fist. Again, the crocodile. And now that he was dead, who would have paid for what that imp did to _his_ _Queen_?

"There must be a way out of it" he blurted out, not hiding the clear desperation in his voice.

The hand ended then in his hair and a deep sigh escaped his lips. Pursuit of revenge was soon replaced by a pragmatic will of help, though her next words immediately froze that noble intent.

"Robin is trying to find it"

Killian stood still for a moment letting the meaning of that statement hit him and then just looked down, almost hurt by her choice of confidant.

"You could have told me" he simply objected, slowly looking up.

Regina didn't let herself be touched by his expression and irony was the only reply she was able to give.

"You already had your own saving mission"

"I brought Henry back to you"

A joyless laugh was the only painful sound that followed his implausible justification. And he knew that too.

"Stop it, pirate! You didn't go for _my_ son, did you?"

Hook shook his head and looked down again, but this time he had no reason to resent, he was just feeling the shame of his own fault on him. The truth was that he had actually left Regina for Emma and now he had lost the one he really loved; the truth was that he should have chosen _her_ and sent Baelfire to Swan in the first place.

"I care for you, Regina… I really do"

"Really?" she asked, while even the smallest hint of irony vanished into a cloud of anger and blame and disappointment "You left me, Killian. While I was alone, Robin was there; now that probably I'm going to die, he's trying to save me… Robin cares"

The man stopped himself from saying something against Robin Hood, mostly because he didn't have much to say. Instead, he took another step to her, until their faces were inches away and caressed her again.

"I've made a lot of mistakes, Regina… But now I'm here and I want to help you"

The queen slowly raised her hand and put it on his one, gently removing it. It would have taken more than just that to make her defenses waver.

"What if now is too late?"

A wave of her hand made the door of the room open wide, inviting him to leave her alone, but if the resigned sound of his boots was accepting it, the last glance he gave her was swearing that he wasn't going to let go so easily.

* * *

The clear sky and the quite high temperature were two promising signs of a beautiful day and at that sight, Robin Hood couldn't help but make a small smile: the mission would have resulted in a success. He had taken care of everything himself; every part of the plan was set, Henry and Roland would have stayed at the castle with a heavy pregnant Snow, while Mulan, Neal, Emma, Tinkerbell and Hook would have helped. He was quite confident, but yet he could understand Regina's anxiety; his smile turned into a caring expression watching her figure some meters from him and decided to walk to her.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay" he said, showing his presence.

The queen turned slightly to him and gave him a weak smile in return and then looked again at the raising sun in front of her. She was truly grateful to the man, but she couldn't hide her concern. She didn't want to die, right now that she had found Henry again, she didn't want to die like that.

In an attempt to give her comfort, Robin took her hands in his ones and in that gesture, it was impossible for her not to look at the lion tattoo on his wrist. That man in front of her was handsome, loyal, brave, caring and he was supposed to be her soul mate. And yet… Her thoughts were interrupted before she could even express them, when another particular caught her attention, and this time it was all in herself.

The mark on her palm was unexpectedly _gone_.

She frowned, making him notice the curios fact, but the slight hint of hope in her look was meant to turn into a feeling of terror when she also noticed that something else was gone as well. The medallion.

Regina quickly turned around and lingered her eyes on the group that was coming to the meeting point and, starting to step closer, she address them.

"Hey, have you seen the medallion?"

Mulan and Tink's denying faces were out of doubt, but Emma and Neal's strange reaction made her become suspicious. It was then, that moving again her eyes, she found out another particular again: someone was missing in that little crowd.

"Where the hell is Hook?" she asked, becoming a bit worried.

Emma and Neal exchanged a look and then the woman sighed and approached slowly Regina, but before she could even explain, the queen was able to connect the dots.

_The mark gone. The medallion gone. Hook gone._

"No… No" Regina murmured shaking quickly her head in denying.

Her eyes widened and a hand went on her mouth: she didn't even care about holding back her feelings. Which feelings? Maybe she was realizing it too late, but it could be that… it could be love.

"We have to find him!" she exclaimed, recovering from the shock and converting it into an operative reaction.

The rest of the people looked at each other and then back to Regina. The fear, the worry and the desperation in her voice were unmistakable, and everyone had a reason to be surprised by that discover: Emma and Neal for the intensity of her feelings that almost made her sound out of character; Tinkerbell because she hadn't expected at all that twist and Robin… He was just undeniably disappointed and hurt by that implicit rejection.

Mulan was the only one impassive and that was the reason why she was the first to move.

"Let's go saving _your _pirate, Your Majesty"

* * *

The two women got on their horses and rode at a very high speed for a while before they reached the spectrum's hiding place, and when they did, they would have preferred that they never did. There he was, a lifeless body was all that remained of Captain Hook. And what was that for?

He had marked himself to save her life and then, willingly went searching his death.

_It is my fault_, that was what Regina kept repeating in her mind, as she reached the ground and approached with an unsteady pace the grim scene. She fell on her knees, right in front of him and after trying to feel his pulse with almost a scientific attention, she took his hand in hers and started to cry, unable to surrender to the naked truth that he was actually gone.

"I can't… You can't leave me… Not again, this can't happen again… Oh my…It's my fault" she kept saying alternating whispers and shouts, while the tears were turning into sobs.

It was only then, that the warrior decided to intervene, taking some steps to her and putting, hesitantly and awkwardly, a hand on her shoulder. Mulan wasn't used to give comfort, Regina wasn't used to receive it. But the queen was too frantic to be surprised, and she just looked up, staring into the other woman's eyes for some moments before she finally spoke up.

"There must be something to save him…" she whispered, in a pleading tone, looking back again to the pirate's body.

Mulan hesitated for a while, then bent her knees and let a small sad smile cross her lips, as the memories of her adventure with her beloved Aurora crossed her mind. She perfectly remembered how the princess had been able to save Philip, and it hadn't been a matter of strength or magic, or maybe yes, it was a magic, but it was the most powerful of all.

"What saves everyone" she revealed, while the sadness slowly turned into hope as she came back to the present "_Love_"

Regina gasped and moved frenziedly her look between the woman and the motionless man. What was she supposed to do? They couldn't expect her to just give him a kiss, waking him up and live together happy ever after. She wasn't a hero and villains don't get happy endings… But yet, there was no doubt about a thing: she did love him. And after that proof, she knew that he loved her too.

"I can't" she sighed, shaking her head and closing her eyes for a moment.

"Of course you can" Mulan replied nodding understandingly "At least you can try"

As soon as she said that, the warrior woman stood up again and went back to the horse, watching from afar the epilogue of that story. Maybe she didn't know a lot about love, but she could understand when someone was in love and well, the pirate and the queen had looked like two lovers since the first time she saw them together.

In the meanwhile, Regina took some more time and then slowly took courage and bent down her head to his. Yes, she could at least try. A desperate, sweet kiss united their lips and when they parted and Regina opened her eyes, she found in front of him a very alive Hook blinking and smiling at her.

"You saved me" he managed to say breathless.

She started to laugh and cry at the same time and instinctively plunged into his arms.

"You have been a fool!" she exclaimed into his ear.

"Shh" the captain hushed her, placing his hand on her face and letting their eyes meet "I love you, Regina"

Some other tears rolled down her cheeks hearing those three words and silently embraced him again.

There was no need to say those words back. True love kiss already said enough.

* * *

**Here I am with a new HQ one-shot! This one was requested by Leslie Lili, who asked me to write something almost tragic... Hope you liked it! Let me know what you think:)**


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